UPDATE 24 October 2024: Kadel Piedrahita was sentenced to life in prison today for the murder of cyclist Alex Palencia.

It took a Florida jury only three hours and seventeen minutes of deliberation to return a sentence of “Guilty” for now convicted murdered Kadel Piedrahita, who shot and killed elite amateur cyclist Alex Palencia during a training race in 2019.

Jurors delivered their verdict Monday evening after a week-long trial in Miami that ended with Piedrahita found guilty of second-degree murder and aggravated assault charges.

The charges against Piedrahita stem from the killing of 48 year-old Alex Palencia during the early morning Don Pan training race on 14 August 2019, which Piedrahita live-streamed on video.

Piedrahita, 46, plead not guilty and took the stand in his own defense last week, saying the shooting was self-defense as he was being attacked by Palencia and two other men.

But the jury did not buy his argument, instead quickly convicting him on all criminal counts.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle applauded the jury’s verdict and issued the following statement after the verdict was read:

“The 2019 fatal shooting of bicyclist Alexis Palencia on the Rickenbacker Causeway appalled our entire community and particularly shocked members of Miami-Dade’s tight-knit bicycling community. Despite Kadel Piedrahita’s claim that he shot in self defense, the jury decided otherwise. They weighed all the evidence, heard all the testimony, and decided that Piedrahita was indeed guilty of 2nd-degree murder. I applaud the talented prosecutorial team of Assistant State Attorneys Arvind Singh and Conor Soper for effectively bringing forth the important case elements that drove Piedrahita to commit this senseless act of violence. I hope that the family of Alexis Palencia has gained some sense of justice with this verdict knowing that nothing can replace the senseless loss of a loved family member.”

A sentencing date has not been scheduled, but the minimum sentence for second-degree murder in Florida is 16 3/4 years in prison without parole, and the maximum sentence is life in prison.

Photo Credit: MiamiHerald/cjuste

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